


It's better if you call me tomorrow

by minavagante (prouvairing)



Series: oh partisan, take me away [2]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Italy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Don Matteo AU, Gen, Grantaire Is A Little Shit In All Languages, Italian Character(s), Italian Songs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-06
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-28 15:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/993359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouvairing/pseuds/minavagante
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s frighteningly handsome, with cheeks reddened and eyes on fire. The whole of the San Musano oratory is hanging off his words, Grantaire especially.<br/>But Grantaire, as Bahorel never fails to point out, never misses a chance to look for trouble.</p><p>(In which Grantaire used to sing in the church choir... and now uses his powers for evil)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's better if you call me tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [È meglio se mi chiami domani](https://archiveofourown.org/works/919989) by [minavagante (prouvairing)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouvairing/pseuds/minavagante). 



> Relevant headcanons (which are all found in the Don Matteo AU tag - though they're all in Italian)  
> -Les Amis are the most insubordinate oratory kids ever seen. Like, leading protests in the main square and questioning the Church as an institution.  
> -Something I forgot to mention: Enjolras is Sicilian because his name (with lots of fantasy) could almost pass for Southern Italian and thus all the girls on Tumblr got very taken with this headcanon, started calling him “Angiolrà, the Beast of the Etna” (i.e. that Sicilian volcano), son of Scylla and Charybdis etc.  
> -Grantaire as a child, with Jehan, used to sing in the church choir (Jehan is still doing it, R stopped). So when he tries, he has a great voice. 
> 
> All the italics are song lyrics and will be translated at the end. The translation is esp. important because it's the whole point of the joke.

Enjolras is complaining about the state of the government.

Nothing new so far. Today, he’s so impassioned that he’s standing on the table, and despite his perfect, cultured vocabulary, emotion gives a Sicilian tilt to his words. The wooden ruler in his hand might as well be the Archangel Michael’s flaming sword, for how he waves it around to emphasize his words.

He’s frighteningly handsome, with cheeks reddened and eyes on fire. The whole of the San Musano oratory is hanging off his words, Grantaire especially.

But Grantaire, as Bahorel never fails to point out, never misses a chance to _look for trouble_.*

Plus, it’s not like he does it with no reason:  they’ve been discussing for close to two hours, it’s July and the heat’s maddening. And even though Enjolras looks like a god, at least half of them are dreaming of Caffè Francia’s 5€ gelatos. The ones with double whipped cream.

Therefore, Grantaire steps in.

When Enjolras starts his speech, on the shameful condition of immigration policies and their rampant racism, Grantaire starts softly singing the national anthem.

Enjolras ignores him gracefully.

Then he starts with partisan songs.

“It is disgusting that our politicians dare to disrespect a minister on the basis of oppressive and bigoted notions…”

“ _Una mattinaaaaa, mi son svegliatoooo, oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao...._ ”

“That children who have grown up on our land, who are for all intents and purposes part of our community, who have gone to school in Italy...”

Grantaire’s voice rises on the high note, unwavering, “ _Una mattinaaaaa, mi son svegliatoooo, e ho trovato l’invaaaasoooor..._ ”

“... risk to be expelled because of the failure of bureaucracy to work properly…”

“ _Oh, partigianoooo, portami viaaaaa, oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao...”_

“… when they are wholly our brothers...”

“ _OH PARTIGIANOOOO, PORTAMI VIAAAA, CHE MI SENTO DI MOOOORIIIIR!_ ”

Enjolras stops dead. He sighs. His cheeks are ruddy with anger, yet he does nothing but glare at Grantaire, who is still humming, “ _e se io muoio, oh partigiano, tu mi devi seppellir!”_

When he resumes his speech, the pause allows him to make even more obvious the fact that he is voluntarily ignoring Grantaire.

The aforementioned Grantaire, therefore, stops. Enjolras has a minute of silence to properly rant on how it is necessary to facilitate the process of naturalization for the young children of immigrants.

Then, Grantaire intones, with perfect pronunciation, “ _Elle me dit, elle me dit ‘C’est ta vie._ _Fais ce que tu veux, tant pis’”._

Enjolras’ mouth snaps shut, and he holds the ruler so tightly that his knucles whiten. His cheeks, formerly red, have become purple. He turns to Grantaire so fast his neck makes a cracking sound. Grantaire looks at him with a shit-eating grin, and continues, “ _Un jour tu comprendras. Un jour tu t’en voudras._ ”

Courfeyrac elbows Combeferre, who pushes his glasses up to hold the base of his nose with two fingers. Both of them are perfectly aware of the soft spot their fearless leader holds for French.

Enjolras, in fact, bursts out, holding the ruler with both hands, “GRANTAIRE!”

“ _Tu fais n’importe quoi, on dirai que t’aimes –_ oui, mon cher capitaine? Am I distracting you?”

Enjolras is practically hyperventilating. “You’re distracting everyone! If you’re not interested, leave! Or simply stop!”

The two stare intensely at each other, one furious and the other with a smirk on his lips. Then, Grantaire shrugs and leans back on the chair, his hands behind his head. The portrait of nonchalance. “Oh, I’ll stop.”

For a moment, he seems serious. Enjolras even resumes his tirade.

But then, as he discusses the system’s injustice, Grantaire exclaims: “ _È_ _una tipica espressione della vocalità e della leggiadria del canto all'italiana!_ ”

The ruler snaps loudly in Enjolras’ hand.

Bahorel can’t help it: he bursts out laughing, pulling Courferyrac along. Jehan sighs and stands, giving Enjolras a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Come, it’s a lost cause, let’s go get that gelato…”

In the meantime Grantaire leads an enthusiastic choir:

_“Mi spiace per ora non credo sia un mondo perfetto... Dom_ _aaaaaaani smetto!”_

The meeting is adjourned to tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> * _look for trouble_ : Bahorel, being Roman, uses a Roman slang expression here that just doesn't have the same effect in English *sigh* what can a girl do? (he says _cerca' rogna_ if you're interested)  
>  P.S. Roman!Bahorel is the best thing ever you guys have no idea
> 
> The songs Grantaire sings:  
> -Obviously the _Inno di Mameli_ , the Italian National Anthem (Brothers of Italy, Italy has awakened, circled its head with Scipio’s helmet. Where is victory? Let her bow her head, for God made her a slave of Rome etc. etc. etc.)  
> -Then my very favorite partisan song from WWII, Bella Ciao (Youtube: [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CI3lhyNKfo) and Wikpedia: [here](http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_ciao) ) Anyways, the lines Grantaire sings:  
>  _One morning I woke up (oh, beautiful hello, beautiful hello, beautiful hello, hello, hello)_  
>  One morning I woke up and I found the invader  
> Oh, partisan, take me away (oh beautiful hello…)  
> OH PARTISAN, TAKE ME AWAY, FOR I FEEL LIKE DYING  
> And if I die, oh partisan, you have to bury me  
> -Then in French (Grantaire u lil’ shit) _Elle me dit_ by Mika (there was an embarassing note to my friend here about our shared French class, sorry, this is why you never copy and paste without looking, [song with translation here](http://www.frenchcrazy.com/2011/10/elle-me-dit-english-translation-mika.html))  
>  -AND THEN he sings a pop-rap song from a few years ago called _Domani smetto_ by Articolo 31, which literally means I’ll stop tomorrow, hence the joke. The lines:  
>  _È una tipica espressione della vocalità e della leggiadria del canto all'italiana!_ – It’s a typical expression of the vocality and grace of the Italian song!  
>  _Mi spiace per ora non credo sia un mondo perfetto... Domani smetto!_ – I’m sorry for now I don’t think this is a perfect world... I’ll stop tomorrow!  
>  (At which point the song goes _è meglio se mi chiami domani_ aka _it's better if you call me tomorrow_ , hence the title).  
> (It’s actually a very Amis song… and it’s in the music mix that one of our girls made for the AU which you can find [here](http://8tracks.com/_calliope/che-infamia-finire-la-guerra-e-non-avanzare-vino), title meaning _What infamy to end the war and not have any wine left_ … because Italians can’t do it without wine apparently which makes R the perfect Italian-French lovechild I think).


End file.
